State premature birth rate sees drop

Troy joins March of Dimes campaign to reduce premature births

Updated 4:04 pm, Thursday, November 15, 2012

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of weeks premature a child must be born to be considered premature. A preterm birth occurs when a child is born with less than 37 weeks of gestation.

TROY — The Hedley Building smokestack is bathed in purple light this month as the city joins with the March of Dimes to promote reducing the percentage of premature births.

In the March of Dimes 2012 Premature Birth report card, New York state earned a B as its preterm birth rate dropped to 10.9 percent for 2011 from 11.5 percent in 2010. The state rate is below the national rate of 11.7 percent.

"We along with 15 other states have gotten to a B," Karen Wendling, March of Dimes Northeastern New York Division director, said Tuesday at a news conference at city hall. The state's previous grade was a C, the same as the nation's.

The long-term goal is to reduce the state's preterm birthrate to 9.6 percent in 2020, according to the 2012 Premature Birth report card.

Just three states — Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine — have scored an A rating, according to the report card released this month by the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center. A preterm birth occurs when a child is born with less than 37 weeks of gestation.

The campaign is trying to raise awareness so mothers can carry their children to full term.

"You can see this stack for miles around. We're trying to get the message out," said Mayor Lou Rosamilia.

The March of Dimes has not yet compiled the premature birth statistics for the Capital Region, said Joslyn McArdle, a NENY division spokeswoman. The most recent statistics from 2009 show the premature birth rate for Albany County at 11.1 percent; Schenectady County, 10.8 percent; Rensselaer County, 10.3 percent; and Saratoga County, 7.6 percent.